


Converging Threads In The City Of Splendors

by FindingFamiliar



Series: I Wanna Rock and Roll All Nite (And Party Everyday) [7]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types, ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 | JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Blood and Injury, Character Sheets for each Character, Each chapter for a character, Fantasy, Fiend Patron Diavolo, Gen, Holiday Gift Exchange, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Magic, Many Backstories Before the Storm, Origin Story, Origins, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Warlock Doppio, Waterdeep: Dragon Heist Module
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:40:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28254804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FindingFamiliar/pseuds/FindingFamiliar
Summary: Waterdeep - The City of Splendors! The Shining Crown of The North!A city where you can find anyone and everything, and yet somehow, half a million gold coins have vanished within the confines of its walls! Passione, an underground criminal organization, is on the prowl to find the hidden treasure before the city can reclaim its stolen treasury, but is there more to this simple task than meets the eye?Follow the origins of all the major players in this once in a lifetime performance as their lives slowly entangle into a web of disaster that pulls at the seams of the city's very soul!Each origin will have a 5th edition character sheet accompanying it if you are ever interested in roleplaying the character in your own future Dungeons and Dragons games!*Additional Tags To Be Added as Origins are Introduced
Relationships: Diavolo & Vinegar Doppio
Series: I Wanna Rock and Roll All Nite (And Party Everyday) [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2008351
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12
Collections: December Gift Exchange 2020





	Converging Threads In The City Of Splendors

**Author's Note:**

  * For [izurus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/izurus/gifts).



> Happy Holidays Izurus!  
> I've been extremely grateful for the opportunity to combine my two favorite passions, so I hope you enjoy this first chapter!  
> Someday, I will do more but for now, I am just grateful to have gotten this done before the deadline! <3
> 
> Character Sheet Base Made By Vanillaprinces on tumblr: https://vanillaprinces.tumblr.com/post/625478592177094656/more-jjba-dnd-au-this-is-part-1-of-all-the-jojos
> 
> I'll be lying if I said I wasn't inspired by their art! I have my own spin and takes on the idea, but I truly enjoy their content!
> 
> Special thanks as always to [cammew](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cammew/pseuds/cammew) for beta reading for my grammar.  
> And another special thanks to [The Instinct](https://archiveofourown.org/users/theinstinct) for also helping me with this!
> 
> DOPPIO ART BY IZURUS! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LETTING ME USE IT HERE! <3
> 
> If your interested, feel free to pop in the RWCW discord server: https://discord.gg/RyGgpaRpdN

Often, when one is asked to describe the makings of a portal, the first thing that may come to mind are the glowing runic letters that encircle the edge of arcane gates that only the most talented or experienced wizards can muster. The portal in their minds might be on the ground, littered amongst old tomes and under the watchful gaze of a familiar, perched, and ever alert to the on goings of a researcher’s study. Or, the portal may be more akin to a gate, centered in an ancient grotto deep within the wilds. An arch made of stone, a true gateway to a far off plane that travel, which was once deemed impossible, is now but a single step away. 

Many of these descriptions evoke a feeling of wonder, a whimsical notion that the world just beyond that of the coast many call home is that of dreams, with thousands of possibilities. The mystical and iridescent forests of the fey-wilds where sprites and faeries dance through the passing seasons, the vast open oceans that swirl and spiral ever downward into the elemental abyss, or even the stars above that grace the astral plane, forever in the gazes of mortals from their window sill. Each one pulls at the strings of curiosity tied around the heart, leading it to paths unknown, which many see as an opportunity for inspiration and greatness. However, when one turns their focus to the lower portion of the cosmological wheel, the same curiosity is instead met with undeniable dread.

Lower, in this regard, is not meant in a sense of direction, but rather, as a false equivalent to the notion that the well-aligned planes flow on the top of the universal sphere, their positive energy and virtuous nature allowing these locales to “rise” above the others. This, however, is a misconception. The universal sphere is just that; a sphere. A cosmological wheel that rotates on an undefined axis in a space that has neither and up or down. While the nature of evil and good polarize themselves as far apart as concepts willfully can, no one side can truly rule over another. This truth is self-evident, woven into the fabric of the world by the Fates’ gentle hands. No matter who may argue otherwise.

All that being said, there is no doubt that the lower planes are home to creatures of utter evil. The chaotic souls of pandemonium, the wandering lost travelers of Hades, and the ever-spreading claws of the abyss that grasp outward to the nearby planes, pulling at the stratum of reality, deeper into its gaping maw. The only opposition in chaos’s wake is the armies of the Nine Hells, who wish nothing more than to tame the unpredictable nature of the demonic birthplace and take it for themselves. Why anyone would wish to contact a creature of these forsaken lands, let alone make such a perilous journey to the vilest ground, is lost on most. Only those who are truly desperate— or those too foolish to think ahead— would gladly dance into the sweet serenade that evil sings. The promises of unparalleled fame and fortune to be gained in exchange for damnation is but a small price to pay for some to have all their desires come true.

To envision a portal to such a place is to imagine the fires of hell burning in a battlefield of ash and brimstone. The embers of burning pyres surround an altar of pain and death, as do the repetitive and guttural chants to an unfortunate victim, sacrificed to a fabricated idol. This cavalcade of death may transpire deep within a volcanic core, imitating the hellish landscape of their target. The location of this forbidden ritual may even lie just beyond the edge of a small town, within the lord’s mansion. Amid the bodies of cattle strewn about the hallways, a frantic man offers his weight in gold as a tribute to garner the interest of an entity far beyond his ken. 

The image of a church, the holy sight of one of the revered gods above, is the thought that the mind would never dare cross. This connection should be an impossibility. No celestial sphere would allow such a mark to disgrace their domain, no matter how nimble or minute.

And yet, under the right conditions, the impossibility of such an endeavor becomes irresistibly tangible in the prime material plane, the axis around which all planes converge under mortal light. 

Picture the image of a small cathedral, nestled on the edge of a small fishing village tangled amongst the shoreline. The small cove the villagers call home provides a safe harbor for the fishermen’s vessels and also acts as a waymarker in guiding seafarers to destinations of greater magnitude. It allows the villagers’ peaceful and isolated lives to continue ever onward, save for the passing merchant that wanders too far off the main road. While many would expect a cathedral to venerate the benevolent deities, whose worship brings benedictions for those who offer worship, this settlement prays to a divine being that could not be farther from the praised watchers of mortality. 

Umberlee, the Wavemother of Faerûn, is no mother of mortals. Her love for utter destruction by the twisted hands of her own storms is measured by the ocean’s deepest trenches as her domain expands further with each plunge against the planar core. Those who worship her do so in fear, wishing to appease her so that the Storm-goddess may cast her blight elsewhere, for gaining the ire of Umberlee is a fate no sailor would wish upon their greatest enemy. 

But, a Goddess is still one of the divine, and no divine holds any affection for the fiends that fester just outside of the mortal realms. For a hellish fiend to enter holy grounds, no matter how malevolent, a taint must run deep within the building’s walls. Decades of anathema fester at the steps to the shrine, sins of mortals that could no longer be washed away by prayer alone. While the Sea Queen’s voice may still utter disparities to her fearful flock, any sense of attachment or duty had long since left her mind. 

It was this relinquishing of obligation, one that was never truly taken to the oath, that paved the way for the stone floor of undercroft to allow such an infernal script of hell to take shape. The son of the priest who once dutifully maintained Umberlee’s shrine now eagerly weaves an intricate circle of magic out of the blood that dripped from his fingertips. A ghastly incantation left undisturbed for an insurmountable amount of time— now found its way into the young man’s hands. A mere accident on the merchant’s part when the young man sought information on the matters of the arcane, wishing to expand his view of the world one book at a time, only to dabble in powers that were far beyond his reach.

Before the circle could be completed, a final addition to the spell was added along the outside edge, not present on the original scroll. The average summoning incantation is comparable to an open door, allowing any creature to respond to the summoner’s plea with the only filter being the mage’s own prowess. Any gate to the outside planes can be overtaken if caught by the eye of a powerful observer, but with the proper precautions, only the intended target will be granted the ability to make an appearance. 

The young man used the sleeve of his tunic to wipe the sweat off his brow as he looked down at his work, pleased with himself at the precision he put into every stroke. Anticipation was a feeling that he could never grow accustomed to as the flutter in his chest and the shiver down his back accompanied the young man took one more final look around the room. 

After deeming this morbid sanctuary free from any potential onlookers, he placed his open palm at the base of the ring as he uttered words of infernal prayer. A faint glow spreads like fire along the trails of blood, burning the script into the stone as the embers of hellfire ignite in front of his very eyes.

Yet, no fear could be found behind the young man’s gaze as the floor morphed its shape into a pool of reflective glass. He stared unhindered into the unhallowed mirror at his feet, the light of the fire revealing to him a reflection consumed in shadow, save for the green eyes that burned with fire all of their own. 

“It is _you...”_ The creature’s eyes squinted as he spoke, the words slowly dripping out, one after the other as the language shifted from silvery infernal to the crude, mortal common tongue. 

_“Doppio.”_

“That’s my name…” The young man shifted on the floor, moving from his knees to a more comfortable cross-legged position, still maintaining eye contact with the being beneath him. “Oh! I hope this wasn’t a bad time to contact you! I can wait until tomorrow—” 

“No. This time is adequate enough.” This time, the fiend’s response was quick and precise, cutting off the young man’s words. “You summoned me for a reason, Doppio. I would rather not waste our short time together.”

“Of course! Sorry- _sir!_ ” 

The “sir” was hastily tacked on at the end as Doppio searched through the old leather bag that he had thoughtlessly tossed aside a short while prior. In truth, over their many conversations, he had yet to learn the infernal spirit’s name. It felt ill-mannered to not give the fiend any respect, but he had never received permission to call him as such either, which only served to make the use of the word that more difficult.

Once Doppio had found the document he was looking for, he carefully tore it from his bag and unscrolled the parchment to reveal its contents for the fiend to plainly see. It was a letter of acceptance, from the surveyor’s guild located in the northern city of Waterdeep. 

A wide grin plastered itself on the human’s face as he enthusiastically summarized the letter’s contents. “Aceto Doppio has been accepted on the guild’s research expedition into the Anauroch desert! They must have read my silly research paper on the Netherese Empire… Still... I can’t believe the guild would even bother with someone like me. I’ve only ever visited Waterdeep once and that was to drop off the damned paper in the first place!” 

The young man immediately covered his mouth in reaction to his sentence, questioning if the use of the word “damned” was appropriate to use. No reaction had come from the fiend, other than a quiet hum as he waited for Doppio to continue his news. 

“Right. The research expedition isn’t for another few weeks, but I’m expected to meet up with the guild as soon as I am able!” His positive expression fell short after that, averting his eyes to a far corner of the room as he half-heartedly mumbled the last bit of new under his breath. 

“So… that means that I have to leave soon.” Doppio fiddles with the corner of the parchment, “Most likely I’ll have to hitch a ride with the next caravan that stops through town...”

Silence hung over the room as the young man sat in anticipation for the fiend’s response, ironically praying that the other won’t react too negatively to the news. 

Eventually, the fiend spoke. “It appears congratulations are in order. I recall you put a lot more effort into that piece of writing than any of your other studies.”

“I— _Did you not hear what I said?”_ Doppio was taken back by the fiend’s lackadaisical response. He flared his nostril in anger, his voice rising in pitch as he shouts, “I’m going to have to pack my things and leave the village soon! I could be gone for months, maybe even years! _I MIGHT NOT EVEN RETURN!”_

“Those are all equally plausible. You mortals do have a penchant for getting yourselves in… _unsavory situations.”_

Doppio sank back into his place by the devil’s side, disappointed with the answer he had been given. The two of them had been in frequent contact ever since Doppio’s first attempt at a summoning portal had gone array. Had he falsely assumed there would have been some sort of kinship formed over the last year?

“We might never see each other again? Doesn’t that bother you?” 

“Doppio…” The fiend outstretched its veiled hand up against the reflection’s edge, not daring to push against the confines of the portal. “I have gone many millennia without contact with another, even longer without someone such as yourself. I doubt a few years along a mortal’s lifespan could hardly compare to that.”

The young man pursed his lips, attempting to come up with the proper rebuttal to the fiend’s statement, but nothing came to mind. Their time scales were far too different, the fiend’s mindset far too alien in concept for Doppio to fully grasp. 

Thinking back to when he had received his acceptance letter, securing his chance to finally leave the only world he ever knew. The only feeling that had rivaled his utter excitement was an underlying sense of melancholy as the realization that not only would Doppio be traveling alone for the beginning weeks of his journey, but there was also a very real chance of being rejected by his peers. 

The possibility of having to spend months on his own with people that might reject him sent him spiraling. Doppio was not going to face that again. He _refused_ to face that again. If only—

_“—Doppio!”_

The young man snapped back to the present, leaving his anxious thoughts in the back of his mind as he returned his attention back to the visitor who had called out his name. 

“Y-yes?”

“There are some things that one has to do on their own. What good would getting upset over such matters do when the thought of me leaving this place is just that, a thought. Nothing more.”

Doppio silently nodded in response, his head hung low as he tried not to allow his frustration to show through any further. If it does, the infernal spirit doesn’t care to mention it. 

A fiend of any nature, whether it be one of abyssal chaos or halls of hell, is unable to step foot on the material plane of their own volition. Direct, open door portals from their homelands to Faerûn were almost unheard of, with many requiring ample preparation and obscure arcane knowledge on the mortal’s part to make one truly worth using. Even the fiends trapped in demiplanes lost between realms adhere to this rule, and Doppio had neither the power nor the ingenuity to dare challenge that fact.

Unless… 

A smirk appeared on the young man’s face as the solution to this quandary came into mind. Doppio rose to his feet, brushing the dust off his trousers before turning away from the fiend, making a point to exaggerate his sigh of defeat. “What a shame that this will be our last time speaking together. Just when I had thought of something I truly _desired_ too...”

He glanced back at the devil from the corner of his eye, watching the fiend’s head tilt in interest at Doppio’s musings. “But, it appears I have to be going. My bags won’t exactly pack themselves, you know.”

It was partway through the young man’s third step that the fiend slithered out a response. “Oh? I thought the son of a priest would never dare to make a deal with the likes of _me.”_

Doppio stopped in his tracks. His nails dug violently into his palms, on the verge of tearing skin before releasing the air pent up in his lungs. 

_“I’m not his son.”_

The young man allowed his fingers to dangle loosely soon after as he pushed aside that awful rage of his. After he cleared his throat, he turned back around and faced the fiend. “I mean, I can make my own decisions. Unless you don’t want to hear what I have to say?”

“I always indulge in what you have to say, Doppio.”

“Hmpf,” Doppio paused, thinking about his words clearly before speaking them. A dash of red graced his face as he twiddled his thumbs, “See... I may have lied on my application for the research expedition…”

“You, lying? That seems rather out of character for you.”

“Well… I may have hinted at having the talent for the arcane. But, we both know I can barely cast more than a cantrip. The ritual here was a fluke more than anything…”

The shadow shook his head. “Doppio. To waste an opportunity for power alone is quite sad. Even if I could give you what you want, in my current state, my influence can only reach so far.”

The young man was not deterred by this. “Then I guess you have no choice but to come with me.”

“But travel by your side, you would have to offer far more than just your soul for that to occur.”

“You said it yourself, you aren’t going anywhere any time soon. So… why not come with me?” 

The fiend pondered Doppio’s offer, unable to comprehend the innocent smeared from ear to ear on the human’s face. The gravity of such an offer should not go left unsaid. No mortal the fiend has ever come across would willingly play host to his twisted essence, even fewer could even hope to survive the process. Surely, the young mortal who stood before him knew the risks.

“There are a plethora of convenient creatures you can solicit power from. Or you could petition one of your gods for aid. What more do you gain from this?” 

Doppio extends out his hand, pressing his palm against the glassy surface beneath him. 

“A friend.”

The devil accessed the open hand, its glare shifting from Doppio’s palm to his now exposed arm. The green orbs flare wild, the fiend’s once-solid irises shatter with rage at the sight of the young man’s bruised skin. 

The fires that burned around them went out, leaving nothing but an eerie glow to illuminate the hollow crypt. Tendrils reached out through the veil, destabilizing the portal as the fiend took hold of the mortal’s arm.

_“Who did this!?”_

For the first time, Doppio understood the true terror of the creature was not tethering itself to him, his arm the only anchor to the material plane as the portal crumbled at the seams. The Runes once expertly drawn were now swirling, spiraling into incomprehensible gibberish as the magic that held them together snapped under the pressure. 

“I- look, it doesn’t matter! Are we making a deal or not!” Doppio screamed out over the magic storm that overtook the room. Any object that wasn’t nailed down to the floor was being torn aside, flying through the air

The fiend pulled him further inward, a yelp escaping Doppio’s lungs as he felt weightless. The energy of the room culminated in a chaotic mass as the devil held him in place, inches above the black mirror whose edges were crumbling to dust at an alarming rate. 

_“I, Diavolo, accept your terms.”_

  
The entire room came to a standstill. Objects stopped in place, defying all possible physics as the young man stared helplessly into the fiend’s Diavolo’s eyes. 

Everything went into complete silence.

Then, it all went black as a wave of ink washed over the room. The shadow left nothing untouched, engulfing the young man into an ebony sea just as the portal reached its end. As the void departed, all that was left in the center of the room was Doppio, slowly rising to his feet. But when the human peeled back his eyelids, a striking electric green had replaced his soft russet eyes. 

The devil had taken hold of the young man’s body, flexing each muscle individually as he got used to taking on a physical form bound by the material plane’s mortal laws. He placed the mortal’s hand on his chest, listening to the subtle beat of his heart. The sound of a soul still vibrating with life that not only survived the fiend’s rather forceful possession but easily accepted its place by his side. 

A soul worthy of his respect.

Another sound overtook his senses, moving his attention to the old iron door that now hung open, revealing not only the stairs to the world outside these walls but a mortal man who now stood between the fiend and his escape. A familiar priest, lantern raised in hand, gaping at the sight of the ritual’s remains and clutching his tarnished holy symbol. 

The mortal’s skin burned at the sight of him. And while his mortal was no longer mentally present, desperately in need of rest after all that he endured to bring Diavolo to this plane, the fiend knew without a doubt that there was no love for the priest to be found in either of them.

“Boy, what have you done!?” The old man stammered out, fumbling over his own two feet as he shuffled backward, making it clear that he was intending to flee rather than fight an agent of evil on his goddess’s behalf. It was a pitiful display if the fiend ever saw one.

Diavolo sighed, twirling his wrist in the air as hellfire flickered at his tips. It was going to take time for the fiend to regain much of the power that he once had, much of it degrading over millennia of disuse. Magic in a sense, was akin to a muscle in many ways, something that needed stretching and straining in order for one to truly grasp its full potential. And now, the perfect opportunity presented itself before him.

The fiend could figure out a proper explanation for why he and Doppio will be departing that evening at a later time. 

“P-please. Stay back. I-I’m warning you f-foul creature!”

All that currently pervaded the fiend’s thoughts were his own desires to bestow a bit of well-deserved retribution on his host’s behalf. Fiends and the divine host’s clergy were always fated to be enemies, no matter what circumstance nor how much the mortal begged for his pathetic life. 

Diavolo watched the man crawl his way up the stairs, only to flank him the moment he reached the final step, easily teleporting his form from one end to the other. “Nothing you say can spare your suffering. Make peace with your god, although, I doubt she is listening.”

The fire that jumped from his hand quickly overtook the building, the old dried out wood from the summer’s heat only adding further fuel to the fiend’s rampage. To burn down a member of a deity’s worthless flock in their own temple was a grave insult, something impossible unless the deity in question no longer found the individual worthy of her favor. 

Unbeknownst to the devil as he allowed his fires to consume the cathedral, watching embers spreading down the grass that hugged the shoreline and encroaching the village below, he was unknowingly acting out a twisted sense of divine will after all. His insinuation that she had long lost any interest in the small town was correct, but Umberlee had purposely allowed the fiend to fraternize with the mortal to bring about punishment with an ironic twist. 

The Queen of the Depths holds no power over the land, save for when the mortal’s channel her directly. It was not just the priest whose greed and disrespect had polluted the waters of her sanction, but the community as a whole, which now needed to be taught a lesson and started anew.  
The goddess would put out the devil’s fire soon enough, with a wave crafted so high that when it crashes down the water will cleanse the coastline of the mortals' disgraceful ways. 

The one aspect of her plan that the goddess had not planned on, is the devil’s survival. The newfound warlock and his patron had made prior engagements, and the fiend refused to face Doppio’s disheartened look if all his hard work was in vain.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Ok! I wanted to update this with an explanation for the character sheet choices. I created Doppio's sheet with the base options of the game in mind, making in a "legal" character under the assumption that your Game Master is disallowing outside material.
> 
> Base Decisions:  
> I went with Variant Human because I wanted the Magic Initiate Feat at level one. I think it reflects how he originally met and made his deal with Diavolo, although I am leaving the level 1 spell option open because while it would be the summoning ritual, the actual in game spell is at a much higher level. Feel free to choose your own. (I chose wizard for the spell's origin)  
> The acolyte background made the most sense to reflect his current history within the story above, but I can definitely see criminal or some kind of researcher be used instead. Same with the choice of alignment, more so due to his position in the timeline rather than what I think Doppio is suited to best overall.  
> Invocation Wise:  
> Disguise Self allows him to keep his identity a secret, especially now that Diavolo is by his side and possessing him. Familiar link boosts his connection with his frog, allowing Diavolo to speak to him through the frog. (Which is named Vinegar because Doppio in this AU is named Aceto, the italian translation of the same word) Lastly, Talk With Animals seemed fitting for his interests, but I can see the invocation eyes of the run keeper being used as well, since reading and research are his areas of focus too.  
> The Level 4 feature was added as a suggestion. Telekinetic allows him to push others around with his mind! I flavor this more as eldritch power, possibly from Diavolo and maybe its him manifesting stronger as an apparition!  
> Any spells can be switched or shifted to preference, these either felt right or were favorites of mine. <3


End file.
